


Species

by iarrannme



Series: Planting and other stories [6]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Complete, F/M, Gen, Humor, Identity Reveal, MJCU (Michelle Jones Cinematic Universe), Michelle Jones-centric, Parent-Child Relationship, Post-Spider-Man: Far From Home Mid-Credits Scene, Protective Michelle Jones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-21 02:21:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21292040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iarrannme/pseuds/iarrannme
Summary: Summary: After Peter’s identity is revealed at the end of FFH, MJ, Ned, Flash and Betty lead the Midtown effort to help.  It’s their turn to save him.This story overlaps events inPlanting,O the strength of webs we weave, andRun –run – run – jump – now breatheand refers to events inJigsaw, but you can read it on its own.
Relationships: Betty Brant & Michelle Jones, Betty Brant/Ned Leeds, Michelle Jones & Michelle Jones's Mother, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Flash Thompson
Series: Planting and other stories [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1463758
Comments: 4
Kudos: 85
Collections: Focus on Female Characters, Secondary Character Focus, Spider-Man Public Identity Reveal, Women being awesome, Women of the MCU





	Species

**Author's Note:**

> Timeline-wise this could've fit into Planting, but that one's very focused on MJ and Peter interacting and this one is focused on MJ apart from Peter. I wanted to flesh out some of her growth from the very guarded person she is in FFH to the much more open (at least with Peter) version of her I wanted her to be for most of Planting. Also, the last line gave me the giggles and I had to figure out how to get there. :)

Betty’s got Mr. Cobbwell in front of the camera. “How would you describe Peter? … Tell me about a time in chemistry that Peter had difficulty. How did he react? … Has he ever threatened or humiliated anyone? Does he anger easily?”

Principal Morita, Peter's other teachers, and the rest of the Academic Decathlon team are waiting their turns. None of you can prove Peter’s innocence. All you can do is show the world why even though you weren’t there on the Tower Bridge, you _know_ that video is fake.

Ned’s guy-in-the-chairing for Betty. They’re professional and focused during each interview, but you see how Betty rests her hand on Ned’s shoulder as they review clips, and the look on Ned’s face when she does.

You delegated social media to Flash, and you’re reluctantly impressed: “Apology and #Flashmobchallenge” already has over fifty “Spider-Man helped me” posts in reply, and #peterparkerinnocent is trending. (So are much ruder tags about Mysterio and Jameson, but Morita won’t let Flash use them.)

You saved the hardest part for yourself: finding the people Peter’s helped who won’t see social media or who need convincing. You’ve marked locations of past Spidey sightings and incidents all over Queens. (Who else might do this? Peter will have to change his usual routes.) That’s your hunting ground.

You’d like to think just the facts will be enough, but they won’t be. Showing your feelings feels like giving others weapons – but maybe this time you can make them a shield.

Well. If Flash can apologize, you can do this. Given the stakes, you’re _going_ to do this.

* * *

Talking to the first few feels like picking up the mace, from the sweating and the racing heart to clenching your muscles to make yourself do it. Everyone’s busy. No one wants to be on the radar of bad guys or cops or Jerk Jonah Jameson. The sun beats down as you make yourself say over and over, “Spider-Man’s in danger. He needs our help. Your help. Please.”

This isn’t your first act of protest, nor even the first for an issue affecting you personally, but it’s the scariest. Protesting against the government is at least a known thing with history and community and legal rights and best practices. Opposing unknown allies of a dead megalomaniacal weaponized-illusion-wielding would-be superhero? New territory, full of predators. Whatever species you are, it’s small, but it doesn’t hide.

Peter texts you, semi-panicking, and you joke and snark and flirt as much to reassure yourself as him. He’s a dork in response, of course, but says he really likes you, so. Is this what your parents feel like? Having a partner in your corner against something scary feels like having a whole extra spine. Well, no, probably not. But you can breathe better after your conversation with him, and working through your address list doesn’t feel so overwhelming. Maybe you don’t need fear-of-Peter-seeing-you anymore.

_Being_ the partner in the corner feels like … you wonder if this is how Peter feels, going up against the villain of the day. Like, don’t worry, world, I’ve got your back. Except this steel in your spine isn’t for the world, it’s just for the two of you.

Maybe you’re a hedgehog? That’s the other kind of spines, but still. You’d roll up around Peter and present your back full of spines to the world. Steel ones.

You commiserate with those too frightened to go on the record, thank those who will, and try not to ask anyone if they’d be so quick to support Spider-Man if he weren’t white and pretty. Not that you’re ungrateful, but when you find yourself muttering the names of the Central Park Five, you realize you’ve got to take a break.

* * *

Your mom meets you back at the media lab to give you tea and a hug. She’s on her way out of town, has surgeries in the morning.

“I’m trying not to freak out,” she murmurs into your hair, “but I’m consumed by fantasies of gory revenge against Mysterio for even trying to hurt you. Which I will describe in detail to Gina so I don’t enact them on my patients.” The darkness in your humor didn’t come from your dad.

“Are you ok? Dad told me why Gina’s here.”

She sighs. “I never want to lose you or Dad again. Those five years were the worst of my life. But I survived. These days, I could lose you in the next thirty seconds to Boggy the Rampaging Wonder Duck from the Duck Dimension. I hate that I can’t keep you safe, but it’s a fact.”

It’s been a long time since you cuddled your mom, and back then it was for _your_ comfort. Now you hug her back, trying to give her a moment knowing you’re safe, even if you both know it’s temporary and illusory.

She smiles at you and tucks a piece of hair behind your ear. “All I _can_ do for you is let you be who you are. Someone brave enough to step up. I’m proud of you. Tell Peter he better be worth it.”

“Even if he weren’t, this is for me too. He’s tired of putting his friends in danger; I’m tired of danger I can’t fight. This time, I can.”

You both glance at the wall clock and sigh, “I need to –” nearly in sync. Her eyes glint in amusement. “Stop sometime, all right? Wearing yourself out today won’t help you tomorrow. Go spend time with Peter. Self-care and r–”

“And relationship building are political acts. I’ll wave a tiny ‘Sokovia Accords Suck’ sign the whole time I’m with him.”

She rolls her eyes. “You do that.”

* * *

It gets easier once you start to see results. Videos posted by people you talked to. Updates from Flash about views and likes and trends. An awful limerick someone wrote on the whiteboard:

There once was a wanker Mysterio  
Who lived by illusion and feario  
After he died  
He faked and he lied  
Now we crush all of that like a cheerio!  


(Morita lets Flash post a photo of it tagged #mystcheerio.)

You make two more trips out recruiting testimonials before Betty catches you limping and puts a stop to it. “I’ve done fifty interviews this afternoon, there’s over two hundred other videos posted, my voice is almost gone, so is yours, Morita is kicking us all out. Mr. Hogan posted an initial debunking. We’ve done our part. I’m gonna go home and finish that book so I can get it back to you.”

You smile. “Thanks, B. You slayed.” You text Happy an update, then wave and head out, avoiding Morita. The principal doesn’t need to know you’re meeting Peter on the school’s roof.

You play with the broken black dahlia necklace and let your mind wander while you climb the stairs. Truly black dahlias aren’t a thing. There’s a night butterfly dahlia. There’s a dark butterfly dahlia – not actually dark.

Maybe you’re a plant? Not a flower. Something spiny. A dahlia hedgehog cactus, ha! No. Too passive. You didn’t stand there today with your spines waiting for something to bite, you went out and tried to change things.

Doing your bit to affect a world full of powers far greater than you … you just might be a chaos butterfly. A mace-wielding chaos butterfly. You open the door to the roof and raise a mental middle finger to Mysterio. _Flap flap, motherf–_

**Author's Note:**

> The Central Park Five were also schoolchildren accused of crimes they did not commit, and also had a well-known NYC blowhard loudly [advocating for their punishment](http://www.mtv.com/news/2922644/the-central-park-five-ad-told-us-who-donald-trump-really-is/). They suffered far harsher consequences of the false accusations than Peter is likely to.
> 
> I don't anticipate adding more chapters to this fic. If you'd like to be notified of future works, please subscribe either to the series (click on the series name below, then subscribe) or directly to me (click on my name above, then subscribe). Thank you so much for reading! I'm always happy to get your comments and feedback.


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